Among the prior art devices are hand paddles which are intended to be attached to the back of the hand. When the hand is moved on the power stroke, the paddle resistance will force the paddle away from the hand and the forces will be transmitted to the straps or bindings and then to the hand through a narrower contact which may be injurious and uncomfortable.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,913,418 issued Apr. 3, 1990 to Schlueter et al. discloses a paddle of the type that is attached to the palmar surface of the hand. It is held in place by a rubber loop at the base of a finger and a rubber loop at the wrist. The paddle is forced against the palm on the power stroke. The paddle is larger than the outstretched hand with perforations approximating the hand size. One of these paddles is readily applied or removed by the wearer when the other hand is unencumbered by a paddle. However, when a hand is encumbered by one of these paddles, the thumb and fingers are no longer available for applying or removing a paddle from the other hand. Furthermore, it is more awkward to adjust goggles, swimsuit, scratching, or even climbing in an out of the pool when the paddles are in place.